Square checker-brick



Sept. 8, 1953 A. B. AGNEW lz'r AL 2,651,515

SQUARE CHECKER-BRICK V Filed sept. 5. 1952 y .s sheets-sheet 1 y] Tun rragucys A. B. AGNEW ET AL Sept. 8, 19-53 SQUARE CHECKER-BRICK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed Sept. 5. 1952 OO O Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED orales ,SQUARE Acmiclelia-enroll vAlbert 2B. Agnew, Phlipsbung, YdE'a., and

Erankgl. Bief, Ghictn, 111.

.Applicationsentemher 5, 1952 SerialNn. 308,112

(Cl. 2GB-512) .4 la'ims. 1

This invention "relates to checkerbricks, and more particularly to those which interlock one another.

The stoves that heat the vair for blast vfurnaces contain checkerwork formed -from checkerbricks that either Yare solid and laid up 'in .suchv a way that passages are formed around them, or else are provided'with vertical gas passages and are laid as a solid mass. Itis Vwith the second `'kind of checkerworkthat .this invention is concerned. Heretofore, the space between the checkerwork and stove shell has been filled with refractory material in .a 'futile Yattempt `to hold the bricks together.y :The 'heat 'in the stove and .age cause the bricks to swell or grow and then a reduction in temperature causes them to contract and pull away from one another. The swelling has caused the checkerworkto pushin the side of 'the stoves combustion chamber, While the separating of the bricks causes "their gas Apassages to ,get out of alignment.

It is an object of this .invention to provide Va checkerbrick which can be jinterlocked with 'like bricks so that the checkerwork will hold itself together and can be spaced from everything around it. Another object 'is to provide inter-- locking bricks ,that are square and .need not have any gas passages between themselves.

In accordance with thisiinvention yourcheckerbrick 'is square and has .a plurality .of .vertical gas passages extending through'it. Thebricklhas upper and lower ,faces provided with integral lugs by which the'bricks are'locked together. One 1of the Afaces .has at itscorners .square lugs which are located at the corners of a Asquare center lug that has an area substantially equal kto the combined areas of the vcornerlugs. .As a result. an .oblong recess having an .area equal to at "least halfl of the area cf the center luglis .formed at each side of .that lug between the .cornerlugs at that side.. The .opposite face fof the checkerbrick .lues tour oblong side Llugs that are opposite the recesses at the other .side of 'the brick. 'These lugs therefore leave four ,square corner recesses at their ends, while one square center recess is .formed in .the area surrounded iby .the vside lugs. The

area of the center recessis substantially equal .to the combined area .of the corner recesses. In constructing checkerwork from `suc'h bricks .they can Vbe laid in several different Apatterns with 'the lugs tand recesses in one courseSinte,ri`1ttng with the 'lugs and recesses in the courses ,above and below them tolock .the .bricks against horizontal movements.

The preferred embodiment of the Ainvention 'is illustrated 3in `the accompanying drawings, `in

which:

Fig. 1 is a. central vertical section |through'a blast -furnace stove;

Fig. f2 is `an 4enlarged horizontal section 'through the stove, looking down on :the checkerwork;

Fig. 3 is 1a Agreatly enlarged fragmentary `plan view of the checkerwork, showing the `-upper course A'and Isuccessive underlying courses broken away "in *parti 4 "is a vertical section 'taken -on the vline IV--I'V of Fig. 3";

:5 is'an :isometric AView ci? a brick; and

PFig. 6'is an enlarged 'isometricyiew of the same brick turned the dther side up.

Referring to Figs. `1 `and `2 of the drawings, -a typical ,hot blast stove has a lnieta-l yshell -l lined With refractory material 2. Inside of the stove at one side there :is `a refractory-walli that curves inward away Vfrom 4the lining to -form a combustion chamber 4 Awhich extends from the bottom of `the stove to the bottom of its dome '5. Near the lb'o'ttom of 'the ystove its side wall and the outer Wall of 'the combustion chamber are provided with ,a port E for a gas burner (not shown). The hot gases produced 1in the .combustion chamber 'pass .out of 'its top and 'then 'back down through checkerworktl, with which the -rest of the stove'islled. The checkerwork lis supported abpye 'the stove ibase `by a suitable perforated support 18, so that .the `gases `leaving `the bottom olf the checkerwork can `now down .and out of thestoye .through aperti! in its side wall. After the -chcckerwcrk has beenheated in this manner for a sufficient "length of time, lthe burner 'is turned off `and air is delivered 'to the bottom `of the checkerwork throufgih port 9. 'The air is heated by the hot .checkerwcrk land then flows down .into the .ccmbustion `chamber and out through a hot blast .outlet l!) to aiblast furnace.

In `accordance with this invention, the bricks l2 'that form .the checkerwork `are square .and provided .top and V.bottom ,with certain lugs and recesses .so .that they .willlinterlock with 4.one another. They `also areprovided with vertical gas passages .to provide .a I-large .number .of .small flues extending 1throughout the ,height of the .checkerwork. ,As `shown inFigsand `6, .one .of the horizontal faces of each checkerbrick has .a square lug .I3 at each `corner .integral with .the rest zof the brick. These four lugs .are located `at the corners .of .a large, l.square .center lug .14, ,also `integral with .the brick. The .area .of `-the center lug is substantially four times Yas Igreat .as the area of any of the corner lugs. Thus, if four of vthese bricks are laid side by side in a square, the four corner lugs at the four adjoining corners of the bricks will form a large square lug having substantially the same area as one of the center lugs. All of these lugs preferably taper away from the brick to a slight extent to facilitate ejecting the bricks from the molds in which they are made. It will be seen in Fig. 6 that the arrangementof lugs -is such that an oblong' recess I is formed by them at each sideiof the center lug between the corner lugs at that side. Preferably, the width of each corner lug is slightly less..

than one quarter the width of the brick, thereby spacing the corner lugs from the corners ofthe center lug, so that each oblong recessfwill `be alittle longer than the Width of a center -lug`or the combined Widths of two cornerlugs. This assures a loose but effective tin the recesses of the lugs in an adjoining course of bricks. Itfalso,al.4

lows a greater tolerancein the size of the bricks than could be accommodated heretofore, thereby providing for normal variations in brick sizes without requiring expensive grinding,

As shown in Fig. 5, the opposite face of the brickhas Afour integral lugs l1 projectingy from it. Each lug is oblong and opposite to one of the recesses l5 at the other sideof the brick.V The area of the lug is substantially equal to half the area of the center lug i4. These lugs also may be tapered slightly and have their adjacent corners spaced apart a very short distance. The four oblong lugs leave four square corner recesses. I 8 at their ends, While a large square recess i9 is formed in the area surrounded by the side lugs. Of course, the area ofthe center recess is substantially equal to thefvcornbined areas of the four corner recesses.

The checkerbrick is provided with a plurality of vertical gas passages 2l, for hot gases andY air blast, connecting its upper Aand'lower faces. To permit the bricks tov be laid up in diierent ways and yet have aligned gas passages so that vertical flues will extend from top to bottom of the check-Vk erwork, each brick has sixteen passages.' These are located uniform distances apart infour uniformly spaced'r'ows, so that Vwhethera brick over. lies an entire' brick or only ajhalf or quarter of` it, the passages of the two bricks willbe'in'ver-A tical alignment. 'It will be seen that one passage extends through each Vcorner lug, two through each oblong lug, and four 'through each center"` lug. In addition, itis desirableV to connect the' four central passages bymeans of a depression 22 in the center of the center'lug. This helps balance the gas pressure in the different 'flues in a well known manner.

With checkerbricks of the construction herein, shown and described, checkerwork can'be constructed in which the bricks will lock themselves against horizontal movements that would separate them and permit them to shift out of line. Consequentlyfthe checkerwork can be formed as a cohesive unit which, as'shown in Fig. 2, can be spaced from the surrounding walls of the stove and combustion chamber without requiring the customary surrounding ller of refractory material to hold the bricks in place. The bricks are thus allowed a space in which to swell without exerting dangerous pressure against the combustion chamber wall.

the bricks is illustrated in'Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. Starting with the bottom course, called are laid side by side in straight rows, with the bricks in alternate rows staggered and inverted relative to the bricks in the rest of the rows in the same course. All of the straight rows in these two courses A and B extend in the same direction. This is clearly shown in Fig. 3. It also will be seen there that the oblong lugs on top of course A are each located beside a pair of corner lugs at the adjoining corners of a pair of bricks in the next row, thereby forming a large square lug of the same size as a center lug I4. In order to ..-lock the oblong lug and the corner lugs beside it together, whereby to interlock three bricks, the rows of bricks in course B are staggered relative tothe underlying rows so that the center recesses in the bottoms of the bricks in course B will lit down over the square groups of lugs just mentioned. By staggering the rows in any given course, shifting of any brick crosswise of a row "I0 The preferred, but not the only, way of layingv is resisted by the two bricks it straddles in the row beside it, whereby some of the lateral strain is taken oil the lugs. 'n

The bricks in the'pair of courses C and D are laid in the same Way as in courses A and'B, except that the straight rows extend at right angles to the straight rows of-A and B. As ar result, some straight Vertical joints extend one direction across the checkerwork, while other straight Vertical joints extend to the first direction. The next pair of courses, E and F, are laid the same asv A and B, so the laying design starts over again and is Vrepeated every four courses. The result is checkerwork in whichthe bricks lock one another together in all horizontal' directions to pre#` vent shifting of the bricksandinisalignment of the passages f-orming the lines. As shown in Fig. 2, half bricks 24 may be used in spaces too small for whole ones but too large to leave Vacant.

Our checkerbrcks can be nested and shipped on edge, thereby protecting the lugs of one another from being damaged in transit. Nesting the bricks for shipment is also a good way to check them 'for size. If they will nest, they will lay up properly in checkerwork.

According to the provisions of the patent statues, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to respresent its best embodiment. However, We desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may' be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

A'1. A square checkerbrick Vhaving upper and lower faces provided with integral lugs, one of said faces having at its corners square lugs located at the corners of a square center lug that has an area substantially equal to the combined areas ofthe corner lugs, whereby an oblongrecess having an area equal to at least half of the area of the center lug is formed at each side of the center lug between the corner lugs at that side, the opposite face of the checkerbrick having four oblong side lugs opposite said recesses, whereby four square corner recesses are formed at the ends of the side lugs and one square center recess is formed in the area surrounded by the side lugs, the area of the center recess being substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner recesses, and the checkerbrick :being provided with a plurality of gas passages connectingV its upper and lower faces.

2. A square checkerbrick having upper and lower faces provided with integral lugs, one of said faces having at its corners square lugs located at and spaced slightly from the corners of a square center lug that has an area substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner lugs, whereby an oblong recess having an area equal to at least half of the area of the center lug is formed at each side of the center lug between the corner lugs at that side, the opposite face of the checkerbrick having four oblong side lugs opposite said recesses with the adjacent corners of the side lugs spaced slightly apart, whereby four square corner recesses are formed at the ends of the side lugs and one square center recess is formed in the area surrounded by the side lugs, the area of the center recess being substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner recesses, and the checkerbrick being provided with a plurality of gas passages connecting its upper and lower faces.

3. A square -checkerbrick having upper and lower faces provided with integral lugs, one of said faces having at its corners square lugs located at the corners of a square center lug that has an area substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner lugs, whereby an oblong recess having an area equal to at least half of the area of the center lug is formed at each side of the center lug between the corner lugs at that side, the opposite face of the checkerbrick having four oblong side lugs opposite said recesses, whereby four square corner recesses are formed at the ends of the side lugs and one square center recess is formed in the area surrounded by the side lugs, the area of the center recess being substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner recesses, each of said corner lugs being provided centrally with a gas passage extending vertically through the brick, each of said side lugs being provided with two gas passages extending vertically through the brick, and said center lug being provided with four gas passages extending vertically through the brick, all of said passages being equally spa-ced apart in four equally spaced rows.

6 lower faces provided with integral lugs, one of said faces having at its corners square lugs located at the corners of a square center lug that has an area substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner lugs, whereby an oblong yrecess having an area equal to at least half of the area of the center lug is formed at each side of the center lug between the corner lugs at that side, the opposite face of the checkerbrick having four oblong side lugs opposite said recesses, whereby four square corner recesses are formed at the ends of the side lugs and one square center recess is formed in the area surrounded by the side lugs, the area of the center recess being substantially equal to the combined areas of the corner recesses, and the checkerbrick being provided with a plurality of gas passages connecting its upper and lower faces, the checkerwork being constructed from pairs of adjoining courses of said bricks laid side by side in straight rows with the bricks in alternate rows staggered and inverted relative to the bricks in the remaining rows of the same course, all of the straight rows in the two courses forming each pair extending in the same direction, the straight rows in alternate pairs of courses extending at right angles to the rows in the remaining pairs of courses, the rows in each course being staggered relative to the rows in the adjoining course of the same pair, and the oblong lugs on top of ea-ch course being located beside pairs of corner lugs in the rows beside them to form square lugs that project up into square recesses in the bottom of the overlying course.

ALBERT B. AGNEW. FRANK J. RIEF.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,185,559 Mohr, Jr., et al. Jan. 2, 1940 2,577,170 Walters Dec. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 461,458 Great Britain Feb. 17, 1937 

